


Part 1: Kitsune Wa Koi Ni Ochita (The Fox Has Fallen In Love)

by aegicheezu



Series: The Sorcerer and the Court Noble: Onmyoji [2]
Category: Japanese Mythology, Onmyoji - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 04:00:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12856290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aegicheezu/pseuds/aegicheezu
Summary: After the debacle with Doson, Seimei and Hiromasa take a well-deserved break outside the capital. Finally alone, the two explore the nature of their relationship and how things have changed since they rescued the capital from destruction.





	Part 1: Kitsune Wa Koi Ni Ochita (The Fox Has Fallen In Love)

“Are you sure we can afford to go away?” Hiromasa asked for the hundredth time as he helped Seimei carefully pack his robes. Seimei gave him a sidelong look and chuckled.

“Of course. Our job is done; for now, anyway. Don’t fret. It’s only a few days!”

“It’s only a few days!” Mitsumushi repeated, smiling.

Laughter.

 

*

Packing finally completed, the pair sat down on the polished wood floor and had a drink, the cool summer evening air relaxing them after the effort. Hiromasa seemed enthralled by the beauty of the stars that hung in the sky that evening; there were so many.

 _How pretty he is when he’s not paying attention_ , Seimei thought, smiling. He took another sip of his sake. _Whatever am I going to do with him?_ Hiromasa noticed Seimei’s soft stare and gave him a questioning look. Seimei shook his head, and they both took another sip of their drinks.

“Seimei,” Hiromasa said after a while of amiable silence. “do you think things will change, now?”

Seimei thought for a moment. “How so?” he bent forward and refiled Hiromasa’s cup.

“I never knew such things could happen,” he clarified, looking at the stars again as he spoke. “I knew you were powerful, but I had no idea that our lives would change so… drastically.”

“Are you scared of me?” Seimei wondered aloud.

Hiromasa vigorously shook his head no. “Of course not,” he said, “I could never be afraid of you…” he looked at Seimei and held his gaze just a little too long. Embarassed, he added, “as long as you don’t turn me into anything!”

 _Oh dear,_ Seimei thought, _he’s cute when he gets flustered. This little trip outside the capital could be dangerous…_ Seimei laughed again. “I wouldn’t dream of it. After all, you and I are going to be around for a very long time…”

Hiromasa looked puzzled again. “What do you mean?”

Seimei took a sip from his cup. “You’re immortal now, like me.”

“What?!” Hiromasa exclaimed. Seimei laughed again.

“Oh dear,” Seimei wiped a tear from his eye and tried to contain his amusement. “Don’t you remember? When Aone and I saved you from death,” he composed himself, “she gave her immortal life to you.” His eyes turned downcast, remembering how he held the dying Hiromasa in his arms _. I really thought I’d lost you… how my heart broke at the thought… I’m so glad you’re here with me._ “so now,” he continued, “here you are, and here you’ll stay.”

Hiromasa paused a moment, thinking about the logic of it. _That’s right!_ He remembered. _Aone was immortal because she’d eaten the flesh of the merman… so now, I’m... I’m never going to die?_

“That’s exactly right.” Seimei replied, reading his thoughts. “So it’s a good thing we get along so well.”

“You read my mind?!” Hiromasa’s expression seemed to permanently be surprised. “How often do you do that?!”

Seimei chuckled. “Don’t worry, I only do it sometimes. It’s fun to play around,” he rested his hand on Hiromasa’s shoulder, “I won’t do it again, unless the situation requires it.”

“Promise?” Hiromasa’s voice was small. _I don’t want him knowing everything I think about… what if I think of him?_ Hiromasa thought, panicked.

Seimei smiled. _Oh dear,_ he thought. _I won’t tell him I heard that_. “I promise.” He said. “Now, we should go to sleep soon, we leave early in the morning for the countryside.”

 _This will be fun,_ Seimei thought. _I do wonder if he thinks of me… as a man. We’ll see, won’t we?_ He smiled to himself and bid Hiromasa goodnight.

 

*

The carriage ride to the outskirts of the city was long and, annoyingly, rather bumpy. The smooth roads of the capital soon gave way to the rougher dirt pathways of the countryside; sleeping on the way to the inn was practically out of the question, to the pair contented themselves by sharing stories of their youth.

“…and that’s how I overcame my fear of heights!” Hiromasa laughed.

Seimei smiled, and offered his traveling companion a snack – red bean mochi that Mitsumushi had prepared for their journey – and Hiromasa accepted.

“So… tell me, Seimei,” Hiromasa continued, chewing happily, “there are so many rumours about your birth, I must know the truth.”

Seimei straightened where he sat and moved his gaze from out the window towards Hiromasa. “Do you want the romantic version, or the truth?” He asked, his voice serious.

“The truth, of course,” Hiromasa replied, “I’ve heard the fanciful stories, you know I don’t believe in them.”

“Even after everything you have seen?” Seimei challenged playfully. “Surely the stories don’t seem that far-fetched, to a man that’s come back from the dead.”

Hiromasa smiled. “I don’t believe,” he heled Seimei’s stare as he spoke, “I don’t believe that I ever thanked you properly for that day, have I?” _I think about it constantly_ , Hiromasa thought. _What is the afterlife like? I don’t think I could bear it, without you. I was so scared of leaving you, as I lay in your arms…_

Of course, Seimei heard that. But he kept his face still; after all, he promised not to read Hiromasa’s mind. _Damn_ , he thought, _I wish I hadn’t heard that. How I wish I could be closer to him; we’re so close, but just out of reach, aren’t we?_

“You don’t have to thank me,” Seimei replied finally, “your constant companionship is thanks enough,” he smiled. “And besides, eternity would have been incredibly boring, and now it won’t be. It is I who should be thanking you, I think.”

“For what?” Hiromasa asked, confused.

“For joining me in my long, long life.” Seimei smiled again. Then, eyes narrowing theatrically, he attempted to get back to the topic at hand. “Now, your question. The stories of my birth have been grandly exaggerated,” affecting a story-telling tone, he continued, “my father was human, that’s true. And my mother was not.”

“So, the myths are true then?” Hiromasa asked, eyes wide.

“Yes and no,” Seimei corrected. “That my mother enchanted my father, that is partly true. He found her, wounded in the forest. He took her back to his home and nursed her back to health; over time, I suppose he fell in love with her, not knowing what she was. Eventually, their relationship became physical. Though, the way my mother told me the story, she had been coerced into sharing his bed out of fear, or gratitude for his help, or both. She never loved my father – that much she told me. Soon after that, I was born; my mother took me away from him and raised me on her own.”

Hiromasa’s face grew sad. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I did not know.”

Seimei rested a reassuring hand on top of Hiromasa’s. “Do not worry, Hiromasa, that was long, long ago.” He smiled warmly. “My mother’s gifts were strong, and they were passed on to me. Even as a little boy, I was able to play with gentle spirits and cast weak spells. Before she died, she taught me how to properly use my gifts. I’m very grateful to her for that.”

“And your father…?”

“He died of an illness not long after I was born. The human body is weak, and his had been further weakened by too much alcohol.” Seimei sighed. “It wasn’t a deeply felt loss; I barely knew him. My mother raised me on her own; I had a very happy childhood.” Seeing Hiromasa’s expression, he added, “Come now, Hiromasa! It was over a hundred years ago, I hardly think of it.”

At that, Hiromasa smiled a little. “Are you really over a hundred years old, Seimei?” _Of course, you don’t look it… and now I suppose, neither will I, in a hundred years._

“I am, yes.” _He’s seen so much, yet he acts so surprised. How cute_. “I think,” Seimei added as the carriage slowed, “we’ve arrived.” He peeked his head out the small window to confirm his suspicions.

“Have we?” Hiromasa asked, glancing out the other window.

“We have,” Seimei repeated, comically. Though pleasant, he was glad their journey had finally come to an end. “How nice it will be to stand on solid ground after coming such a long way on bumpy roads,” he helped Hiromasa out of the carriage, smiling to himself at the feeling of Hiromasa’s hand in his. _Soft,_ he remarked.

“Hmm?” Hiromasa asked.

“Hmm what?” Seimei repeated.

“Did you say something just now?”

 _What’s this?_ Seimei thought _. Did he hear me?_ “No, I didn’t say anything,” he said.

“Strange,” Hiromasa made a face. “I thought I heard something.” He shook his head and joined Seimei on the walk up to the inn.

 _Strange indeed_ , Seimei thought.

 

*

The pair decided to drink outside and watch the stars, as had become their custom. _I wonder what that was, earlier_ , Seimei thought. _How is it possible that he could have heard me?_ He shook his head. “More sake?” he offered Hiromasa the bottle; Hiromasa nodded and held out his empty cup for Seimei to fill it.

“It’s so lovely out here,” Hiromasa observed. “How quiet it is.”

“Yes,” Seimei replied, “there aren’t many others staying at the inn, we have practically the whole area to ourselves.” As he took a sip, he studied the other man. How handsome he thought he was! Truthfully, it was almost instantaneous, how he began to fall for Hiromasa. Though they had only recently been formally introduced, they had crossed paths in the court before. Now, as the pair sat and drank in silence, Seimei allowed himself to remember.

_It was so hot… everyone in the court was moving about like drunk bumblebees, slowly and languorously. The Emperor’s concubines, usually so silly and full of life, spoke softly and slowly, unable to muster even a delicate laugh at my jokes, no matter how I tried. The palace children slept long hours, unable to play. Even the Ministers of the Left and Right grew tired of the heat and begged us to bring a cooling rain._

_“Seimei! Can’t you do something?”_

_“It’s so hot! Please bring some rain!”_

_“At least conjure some clouds to hide the sun, Seimei!”_

_So demanding. Court life can be so tiresome; even I cannot change the weather. How many times did I explain that? But they just scoffed, and told me I was lucky to have a place in the court, and to do whatever it took to end the heat wave. So of course, I said what incantations I could, and gave the ladies-in-waiting their amulets, and protected the children from heat-stroke with sutras. But the weather remained hot. One day, the Minister of the Right was scolding me for my inability to bring a rainstorm – and Hiromasa was there, watching me._

_“He shouldn’t scold such an important man like that,” he’d been thinking, “Surely someone like Seimei is trying everything he can … stop dressing him down in front of others, it’s unseemly … I should say something to stop him … look, his handsome face downcast like that … I’m sorry Seimei-dono, I can’t do anything ... I’m useless...” Though of course, Hiromasa hadn’t said any of that aloud, I’d heard every word. Even his thoughts were of comfort to me; I knew then how kind a soul he must have. And it’s true, Hiromasa was such a young and handsome nobleman. Even while being scolded by the Minister of the Right, all I could think about was his handsome, smiling face. How silly of me, to allow myself to be distracted by such an earthly thing as affections… but I could not help it; I was, after all, partially human. This body of mine will last forever, but this heart of mine… it is the heart of a man._

“Seimei,” Hiromasa interrupted his memory. “You seem rather withdrawn tonight.”

“Do I? I certainly don’t mean to be,” Seimei reassured, “I am probably just tired. The last few days have taken their tole on me, and the journey was a long one.”

“Shall we retire, then?” Hiromasa drank the remainder of the sake in his cup. “I wouldn’t want to keep you awake with my ramblings, when you’d rather be sleeping.”

Seimei smiled. “You’re not keeping me awake, Hiromasa,” he locked eyes with the other man, and softened his expression, “I thoroughly enjoy our chats.”

“Still, you are tired and we have had a long day.” Hiromasa began to clear away their tray of sake bottles – together, they had drunk almost 5 – “we can continue tomorrow.” Then, smiling, he added, “and we have eternity to carry on, don’t we?”

“Yes, that’s true,” Seimei agreed. “Let us go inside.”

 

*

The room they had rented was small, but not uncomfortable to share. The tatami mats were fresh for the season and soft underfoot; there was a screen to change behind and a writing desk with all manner of different inks, should the mood strike.

“You change first, Seimei,” Hiromasa offered, “you are more tired than I.”

Wordlessly, Seimei agreed and went behind the screen. He slipped off his heavy robes, slightly stained with dirt at the hem from the journey. He peeked over top of the screen at an oblivious Hiromasa, who was methodically unpacking a few more of his things, and humming. _How cute_ , Seimei thought again. _Though, I must try to keep my thoughts at bay… what if he hears me again? I wonder what caused it… he hasn’t reacted to anything else I’ve thought, so maybe it was coincidence? No matter,_ he thought, shaking his head. _Maybe this could be fun after all._

After a while, Seimei emerged from behind the screen in a thin white sleeping yukata. His hair was still pinned back; he had a little plot up his sleeve.

“Hiromasa, my arms are tired,” he said, suppressing a sneaky grin, “could you help me, please?” he motioned to his hair. Hiromasa nodded and dutifully shuffled over to where Seimei stood and motioned for him to sit down.

Seimei closed his eyes the moment Hiromasa’s fingers began to lace through his hair and unpin it, letting the long strands begin to fall to his shoulders.

“It’s longer than I thought, Seimei,” Hiromasa noted, “no wonder your arms get tired.” He worked his fingers through the long, thick black hair and without thinking, he began to massage Seimei’s scalp.

“That… feels nice, Hiromasa,” Seimei whispered after a while, beginning to feel drowsy under Hiromasa’s touch.

“Ah, um…” Hiromasa was caught off-guard by the softness in Seimei’s voice and his fingers froze. “Sorry, I… got carried away. I’ll go change.” He stood and fought the rising blush in his cheeks, back turned to Seimei, who sighed. _Too bad,_ he thought. _That really did feel lovely._ As Hiromasa rustled behind the screen, Seimei played a game with himself, trying to see the other man’s outline. After so much to drink, it was a difficult game to play. He sighed again and twisted his hair in his fingers.

“Would you like some tea?” a delicate voice spoke at the door to their room.

“Yes, come in,” Seimei replied. He smiled kindly at the young girl as she entered and set up the tea tray. She left as quickly and silently as she came, leaving the scent of flowers behind.

At last, Hiromasa emerged from behind the screen in a similar white sleeping yukata to Seimei’s. He too, had left his hair pinned and sat next to Seimei as he began to undo it.

“Would you like some tea? It should be ready by now.” Seimei asked as he moved for the tea tray. Hiromasa nodded, and Seimei poured him a cup. “Here,” he extended his hand. Hiromasa’s fingers grazed his own as he handed him the cup of tea; in that moment, a warmth seemed to radiate from Hiromasa’s touch. Seimei was taken aback slightly _. It must just be my nerves_ , he thought _. Quite alone at last_.

“Hiromasa,” Seimei ventured, “tell me another story.”

“Oh?” Hiromasa asked. “I thought you were tired?”

“I seem to have been reinvigorated by your massage,” Seimei replied honestly. “Go on, master flute-player, tell me a story.”

Hiromasa laughed. “You just said yourself, I play the flute! I can’t tell stories,” he took another sip of tea. “But I’ll try, if it’s for you.”

Seimei smiled. “Tell me about when you were a little boy,” he looked into Hiromasa’s eyes, “it’s been so long since I was a child.” _Such a very long time… what were you like as a little boy, I wonder?_

 _That’s true_ , Hiromasa thought. “My childhood wasn’t as exciting as yours, Seimei. I’m not sure you’ll find my stories entertaining.” _After all, I’m just a human… though now, I suppose, that’s changed a little…_

“Nonsense,” Seimei laughed, “On the contrary, I should very much like to hear more about what you were like as a child.”

Hiromasa laughed. “Alright. Shall I tell you about the time I made the head Onmyoji think a demon had come to the palace?”

“Please do,” Seimei sipped his tea. “How old were you?” _I can’t even imagine what you looked like as a boy… all I can see is a shorter version of you, in your court robes… what a silly thought!_

“I was about 5 or 6, if my memory serves me correctly,” Hiromasa began, leaning back against one of the wooden beams. “It was the in May, just before the Aoi Matsuri was to take place. Everyone in the palace was readying themselves, and the Onmyoji were working day and night to ensure a peaceful festival. I was a lonely child, having no brothers or sisters; so, I often had to make my own fun and ran away from my maid most days.” He paused to have a sip of his tea, and caught Seimei smiling at him. He didn’t say anything about it, but continued, “I snuck into my mother’s letter-writing room one day and stole all the red ink I could find, and one night when I couldn’t sleep, I spilled and splashed the ink all over the door of where the head Onmyoji held his divinations!” Hiromasa ginned and couldn’t stifle the laugh that crept from his lips.

Even Seimei laughed a little. “Whatever did they do?” He refreshed Hiromasa’s cup of tea.

Hiromasa thought for a moment. “I can’t recall, actually… I remember everyone being quarantined for a few days until they could sort everything out. I never confessed to the crime!”

Seimei sipped his tea and looked up at Hiromasa through a few loose strands of his hair. “Your little prank must have caused quite a stir, Hiromasa,” he leaned in close, Hiromasa following his lead, “you’re lucky you didn’t actually summon a demon so close to the Aoi Matsuri!” Hiromasa jumped, and the men laughed together.

Once he had composed himself, Hiromasa said, “It was only up until a few months or so ago that I began to believe in demons at all, really.”

“Oh?” Seimei asked, surprised. “What made you change your mind about such things _?” I never thought of you as a skeptic, Hiromasa,_ Seimei thought. _You’ve always been so trusting of my own magic…_

“Actually,” Hiromasa admitted, “it was after I saw you in action. Do you remember?”

Seimei smiled. “I do.”

“I thought it was so rude of the ministers to goad you into performing for them,” Hiromasa continued, “and you just stood there and cool as anything, you shut them up.”

“I did, yes.” _You couldn’t take your eyes off me, if I recall correctly. That was an added bonus._

“I think, after that… I knew magic was real.”

“How poetic of you, Hiromasa,” Seimei smiled. He decided to chance things further. “Would you play for me, while I rest my head?”

“Of course.”

Seimei reclined on the tatami mat, his face inches away from where Hiromasa sat. He retrieved his flute, and began to softly play. After a few minutes of listening to the music, Seimei spoke gently:

“Do you know the story of Takahama and the butterfly?”

“No,” Hiromasa stopped playing. “Would you tell it to me while I play?”

Seimei nodded his head. He took a sip of tea, and began, his tone measured and sonorous.

“Many years ago, there was a man named Takahama. He came from a good family; his sister married well and their family’s wealth grew. But Takahama never married; he grew old and lived next to a cemetery. After his 80th birthday, he fell ill and was near death; his sister and her children came to look after him in his last moments. A white butterfly flew into their house and stayed by Takahama’s bedside, and no matter how many times his sister tried to shoo it away, the butterfly would return to gently flit around Takahama’s head. After a while, Takahama at last drew his final breath; and once that had happened, the white butterfly flew out of the window. The children thought this might be an omen; so, they followed the butterfly to a grave in the cemetery next to their uncle’s house. The butterfly sat atop the grave of a woman named Akiko, rested there a moment, and then disappeared into thin air. The children, confused by what they had seen, ran back to their mother and told them what happened. Takahama’s sister asked her children what the name on the grave was. When they told her it was Akiko, she was shocked; she explained that Akiko was the name of the woman her brother had been irreversibly in love with many years ago – they had planned to marry, but she died the day before the wedding. Every day since then, Takahama had tended her grave and left fresh-cut flowers for her. The sister said that Akiko’s spirit must have known that Takahama would be joining her soon in the afterlife, and so had come to take his spirit. She was touched at Takahama’s devotion for over 60 years, and taking care of his spirit once he died was her way to repay him. So, you see, they were able to live together, for eternity, in the end.”

Hiromasa paused his flute playing again. “What a beautiful story, Seimei,” he said earnestly. “To think that their love was so strong, they could be reunited in the spirit world…” _just like Aone and Prince Sawara_ , he thought. _I suppose such things are possible._

“Hiromasa,” Seimei asked, “what animal do you think your spirit would come back as?”

“I have not thought about it.”

“Think about it now,” Seimei teased. “That’s a boring answer.”

Hiromasa laughed. “Perhaps a cat.” He put his flute away. “What about you?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Seimei smiled. “A fox, of course.”

Laughter.

 

*

The pair slept long and soundly that night, the effects of the alcohol at last taking their toll on the men. They slept side by side on the soft tatami mats, a thin summer quilt covering their bodies. The night air wafted into their room, playing soft notes on the glass windchimes hanging on the door frame. Hiromasa began to snore, waking Seimei. _Even like this, he is handsome_ , Seimei thought, smiling as he gently swept hair from Hiromasa’s sleeping face. He couldn’t resist snaking an arm around the sleeping man, and sliding their bodies closer together under the quilt. He could smell the floral scent in Hiromasa’s hair, and wondered what flower it was. Soon though, he fell back to sleep.

Some time later, Hiromasa woke gently. Noticing that Seimei had wrapped himself around him, he tightened his grasp of Seimei’s arms and pulled him closer, sighing contentedly.

 

*

When morning at last came, Hiromasa was the first to wake. Seimei’s arms were still wrapped around his body, and he did not want to disturb the other man. _This is… nice_ , he thought. _How comfortable it is! I did not know how he felt… how I feel… I wonder if this will cause us trouble?_ Hiromasa began to gently stroke the top of Seimei’s hand with his fingers. _So soft,_ he remarked. _Like him, though he won’t show weakness. I remember when he cried for me… as I lay dying… but he brought me back. How that must have scared him! I never wanted to cause him such pain._

“I would suffer that pain,” Seimei spoke softly against Hiromasa’s ear, “a thousand times if it meant it would save you.”

“Seimei!” Hiromasa exclaimed, abruptly turning onto his back and lying next to Seimei, who was very much awake and who had, apparently, heard everything he’d thought. “You promised you wouldn’t do that anymore!”

Seimei smiled, but apologized. “I am sorry, Hiromasa…” he locked eyes with the other man. “When I awoke, I heard your voice. I could not help myself.”

Hiromasa sighed, but smiled and drew Seimei in close to him. Seimei’s head rested against Hiromasa’s chest; he could hear his heart beating. “It’s alright,” Hiromasa said at last.

“And this,” Seimei ventured, resting a hand on Hiromasa’s bare chest, “is this alright?”

Hiromasa combed through Seimei’s hair with his fingers. “Yes,” he said. “You really are a good man.”

“And you,” Seimei looked up at Hiromasa and smiled, “You are a good man, too.”

 

A kiss.


End file.
